The Dragon Rider
by Rogue River Rat
Summary: Instead of facing the Monstrous Nightmare, Hiccup chooses to leave after his flight with Astrid. What will happen when he shows up 6 years later as a different person?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: Just playing with other peoples characters, don't own any of them, sadly...**

* * *

**Prologue**

"Come on Toothless. We're going on a little vacation for… forever…" Hiccup said hesitantly. The Night Fury stalked over to him, still wearing the special saddle Hiccup had designed for him. "Hey bud." he greeted the dragon while scratching him behind his head. "We got to get out of here." he said to himself. His thoughts traveled back to the previous afternoon. He was intent on leaving before Astrid appeared. Then they ended up at the Nest. The thing his father had been searching for for so long, what all Vikings had been searching for.

He would not kill a dragon. So he had to leave. Just disappear.

Hiccup grabbed the bag that had been left in the clearing and secured it to Toothless's saddle. He jumped into the saddle before taking a final look at the gully. "We won't be coming back for a long time, if at all…" Hiccup told the dragon sadly. "Okay bud, let's hit the skies." And they were off.

"He's gone." Stoick stated. "Looks that way…" Gobber reluctantly agreed. "Get together search parties, we're going to find him." he commanded. Gobber looked at his best friend with a worried expression, "What do ya think happened?" "I'm not sure," Stoick admitted, "but Hiccup wouldn't run away. Something _must_ have happened." Gobber nodded in agreement. "You'll be going along, I take it?" "Of course. We leave in half an hour." "I'll pack my undies then." Gobber remarked as he left Stoick's home.

Hiccup gazed at the island he had called home for his whole life. He knew he needed to leave, but couldn't bring himself to leave completely yet. 'We can get away from Berk without leaving the island.' he reasoned with himself. They had been flying north for a few hours and it was nearly noon. Toothless looked back at him as if to say "It's time to eat." "Okay bud. Let's find some place to get lunch." But Toothless had already spotted a small lake and angled towards it. They glided to a stop at the edge of the water and Hiccup jumped off his back.

The pair stayed by that small lake for the next few hours. After eating the fish they had caught, dragon and rider had settled back to relax for a while. Hiccup figured they had gotten far enough ahead of any possible search parties. Without realizing it, the duo started to doze off in the warm afternoon sun. Hiccup's eyes slowly opened as he crept back to wakefulness. That is, before he noticed how far down the sun had sunk. The teenager jolted awake only to fall back against the ebony side of his dragon. "Great. It's nearly sunset. Just great." he exclaimed. Toothless grunted in agreement. "Well so much for going any farther today." he sighed, but a moment later yelled from surprise. Toothless had suddenly leaped from his spot and into the lake, leaving Hiccup sprawling on the ground. "Hey-" he started only to get cut off by a huge splash of water. "Toothless what're you doing?" he sputtered at the dragon before being dowsed with another wave from the Night Fury's wings. "You asked for it!" he exclaimed playfully as he jumped in after the beast. His efforts to splash Toothless looked feeble next to the dragon's own waves.

An hour passed before the two friends walked back onto the dry bank. Hiccup wanted nothing more than to collapse on the ground like Toothless did, but knew he need to collect wood so he wouldn't freeze that night.

After the wood was gathered, Hiccup still had time to catch fish for a dinner. He rummaged in his pack for the pieces of his fishing pole and hastily put it together when he found them. Hiccup settled at the waters edge and cast the line into the water. Surprisingly, he had caught enough fish for himself and Toothless in less than an hour.

Stoick's gaze swept through the woods, looking for any sign that his son had passed by here. "Where are you Hiccup?" he sighed to himself. The boy was clumsy, how could he have gotten so far without leaving a trail of some sorts? The chief had sent search parties in all directions, choosing to go north himself. Astrid had insisted that should come and she was the only student who did. Their party had been going incessantly since they left but it was getting dark. "Stoick, some of the men, not me of course, but some of the men were wondering when we were going to rest?" Gobber stammered. "When we find Hiccup." He said firmly. Gobber sighed as though he had been expecting and dreading this answer. "Alright Stoick…"

They continued walking and searching for the missing Viking all night. Morning found them at the top of a cliff, looking down at a small lake. The figure of a sleeping dragon on the bank instantly brought terrible thoughts to Stoick's mind, but he shoved them away, refusing to consider the possibility unless there was proof. "Look!" Astrid whispered urgently. "There's a pack…" Her voice trailed off as the dragon's head rose and turned towards them. "Night Fury!" a stunned man whispered. They watched each other, men and beast, for a moment before the ebony creature rose and snarled. It stood protectively before something and bared its teeth at them. At this, their Viking instincts took over and they scrambled down the cliff to fight the monstrosity. They were hardly ten meters away when a groggy voice froze them in their tracks.

"Toothless? What's wrong?" he asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He noticed his friend's defensive stance immediately and rose cautiously. He was shocked, however, to find, instead of another dragon as he had expected, his father and a group of Vikings. "Hiccup…" his father choked out. His eyes snapped form his son when the dragon growled threateningly again. "Hiccup get away from that _devil_ before it kills you!" Stoick commanded. "No, Dad, Toothless won't hurt me." Hiccup started to explain as he walked around Toothless, who growled defiantly. "Won't hurt you." He said mockingly. "Dad would you please just listen to me?" he insisted, his patience wearing out. "Hiccup they've killed hundreds of us." Stoick accused harshly. "And we've killed thousands of them!" he yelled. Yes, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III had gotten angry and yelled at his father. Stoick was stunned into silence. Hiccup had never yelled at him. "They defend themselves, that's all!"

Stoick's gaze was cold now compared to the fire blazing in Hiccup's, but both had the same hard intensity. "You'd throw your lot in with them?" he accused his son. "Yes, I do." Hiccup practically snarled. Grabbing his pack and swinging it onto his shoulder, Hiccup gracefully leaped into Toothless's saddle. In the final moment before the Night Fury took off, Hiccup spoke once more with a chillingly calm tone, "Because I am not a Viking."

* * *

**A.N.:** So here is the prologue. Just so everyone understands, this story starts on the morning that Hiccup would have "fought" the Nightmare, but instead he chooses to run away. So he and Astrid had already flown together and seen the Nest.

**~R.R.R.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD. I am just a fan that wishes she could have Toothless :D**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

6 Years Later

"Berk." Hiccup stated when the island came into view. Buildings were aflame and the multitude of dragons soaring around indicated a raid was in progress. "Well, I guess it's our job to help, huh?" "I suppose." Toothless agreed. The Night Fury tucked in his wings and sped to the former home of his rider.

"Send more men to the lower enforcements!" Stoick ordered. He took a mighty swing with his hammer at a passing Nadder, which stumbled to the ground, dazed. Suddenly a high, piercing whine penetrated the air and a cry of "Night Fury, get down!" was sounded. A moment of silence predominated the blue flash of a Night Fury's fire. The blast was accompanied by an unusual shriek that hadn't been heard for over six years. "What in Thor's name?" Stoick growled.

Hiccup ducked his head slightly when they zipped through the fire, but was otherwise unaffected by it. They charged other dragons, scaring them off. "Return to your master!" Hiccup hissed at the dragons. "Leave these humans alone." If the beasts were surprised to hear a human speak dragonese, they didn't show it. "You will not escape her!" "The queen will have your head!" "Your days are numbered Rider!" The threats were spat and roared at an unswayed warrior. "Leave." The command was spoken with so much authority, a chill, similar to that felt from the Red Death, ran through the creatures. This voice was different though, with no menace or threat of death, just a clear, dominate tone. The horde recognized this reluctantly and left without a kill of any kind for the queen.

Hiccup didn't regret making them leave without a kill from the village to offer the queen. They would do the extra work to bring in a catch from the wild.

The villagers watched in shock as the dragons left without a single piece of livestock. They had heard tales of the Dragon Rider, like everyone, but had never expected him to appear in Berk. Stoick had made it well known that they don't sympathize with dragon lovers and loathe the devils themselves. If he attempted to stay in the village, both dragon and rider would be killed.

They hovered for a moment before Hiccup looked down at the gathered villagers. "What do we do now?" A little Terrible Terror asked from her spot on Hiccup's shoulder. "I guess we go to a little family reunion Sparks." he replied wryly. Sparks hummed in his ear and wrapped her tail more firmly around his neck. Toothless angled towards the Vikings, landing far enough away that they couldn't pose a threat, but close enough to talk. Hiccup checked his hood to ensure his face and Sparks were hidden from view before smoothly slipping out of the saddle. "You are not welcome here Dragon Rider. Leave now." Stoick's voice was cold and threatening. Hiccup's eyes roamed over his father's features. His brow was furrowed in anger and his face was slightly lined with age. "So unwelcoming…" he muttered. Raising his voice so the Viking could hear him, he said, "Berk used to be so much friendlier. Whatever could have happened?" His tone was dripping with sarcasm. The villagers stilled at his voice as the inevitable realization hit the. "Take off that hood." Gobber requested in a shaky voice. "If you insist." He consented mockingly.

Hiccup wore a wry grin as he removed the only thing keeping his face in shadow. He chuckled lightly at the expressions the Vikings wore. "Surprised to see me?" His voice was thick with sarcasm and he could see his words cut into Stoick's heart. They were silent for many long minutes and the Terror perched on his shoulder began to feel restless. Her sharp claws kneaded his left shoulder where she was perched, but his armor kept her from doing any harm. "Well if no one has anything of interest to say, I guess I'll be going." And with a single fluid movement he was perched on Toothless and in the sky.

Toothless didn't need to ask where they were going, but Sparks asked almost immediately. "Where're we going now? I thought we were gonna stay there for a while. Where are we going?" The hyper dragon looked at him with curiosity. "You'll see." He said patiently. It didn't take long to reach the gorge and when they did, Toothless glided to a stop by the lake. Sparks left his shoulder and splashed into the clear water. "Fish!" Her delighted roar made Hiccup smile. The little dragon acted ferocious, and she could be in a fight, but she was still little more than a hatchling.

By the time Hiccup had started a fire, the pair of dragons had caught enough fish for all three of them. And after a filling meal, the group settled down for the night.

* * *

**A.N.: Well there it is. It's not very long or anything, but I'll try to change that in future chapters. So, Hiccup has returned to Berk! Not a very exciting reunion, but I'm sure they'll all meet again... ;)**

**Until Next Time,**

**R.R.R.  
**


End file.
